March 12, 2022
Banner Season: Host Blues produce winning results in the pool for pair of provincial banner
Toronto, Ont. (via Toronto Varsity Blues) - Claiming their 18th and eighth consecutive titles respectively, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's and women's swimming teams are once again OUA champions. Heading into the final day of competition on Saturday (Mar. 12) with a strong lead in both the men's and women's events, the Blues continued to put forth winning results en route to their 2022 OUA Swimming Championship banners.
DAY 3 WOMEN'S RECAP: Winning five of the session's seven gold medals, the Varsity Blues once again made their presence felt on Saturday afternoon.
Winning one of those gold medals was Varsity Blues first-year swimmer Raili Kary. Finishing top of the podium in the 200m backstroke, the engineering major picked up her third gold medal of the championship, which led to her being named not only the OUA female rookie of the year, but also the OUA female swimmer of the year.
Like Kary, U of T's Ainsley McMurray also picked up a third individual gold medal on Saturday. Her time of 54.94 in the 100m free secured her place at the top of the podium.
Anna Hein (800m free), rounded out the Varsity Blues individual gold medalists from the session. The purple of the Western Mustangs graced the top of the podium in the other two individual races, with Shona Branton (31.10) winning the 50m breaststroke and Ella Rennie winning the 200m IM in a time of 2:17.09.
In the two relay events, the Varsity Blues struck gold both time, winning the 200m medley relay with a time of 1:54.36, before ending the session victorious in the 400m freestyle relay with a time of 3:45.63.
Earning the team silver medal was the Western Mustangs, finishing over 80 points ahead of the bronze medalists, McMaster Marauders. The Guelph Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors finished fourth and fifth respectively.
DAY 3 MEN'S RECAP: In a similar position to the Varsity Blues women's team entering day three of the championship, Toronto found themselves in good shape to claim their 18th straight OUA title.
One of the biggest reasons for the Blues continued success was the standout performance of first-year swimmer Jacob Gallant. Winning his third gold medal of the event, when his time of 1:59.67 beat all other competitors in the 200m IM, the Fredericton, N.B., product went on to be named the 2022 OUA Male Swimmer of the Year, the 2022 Jeno Tihanyi Award winner and the 2022 OUA Male Rookie of the Year.
Beyond Gallant's performance, the rest of the Varsity Blues team continued to find plenty of success on the final day, as Toronto went on to win six of the seven gold medals.
The Blues began session six in style by setting an OUA record in the 200m medley relay racing to a time of 1:38.68. In the second race of the event, Western's Sebastian Paulins continued his strong weekend winning the 1500m freestyle to claim his second individual goal of the championship. From that point on though, it was all Toronto. The Varsity Blues went on to securing nine of a possible 13 medals the rest of the way.
In a battle for the team silver medals, the Western Mustangs did their best to gain ground on the Waterloo Warriors with a late push, winning a bronze in the 200 IM and then taking silver in the 400 freestyle relay, however, it wasn't quite enough, as a silver medal in the 200 IM for Waterloo's Lukas Wormald helped fend off the Western push.
Rounding out the top-five, the McMaster Marauders finished fourth and the Carleton Ravens came in fifth. Carleton's coach, Pierre Lafontaine was named the OUA Swimming Coach of the Year in both men's and women's.
Another strong day in the pool helped both the Toronto Varsity Blues women's and men's swimming teams widen their leads Friday (Mar. 11) at Varsity Pool during Day 2 of the 2022 OUA Swimming Championships.
DAY 2 WOMEN'S RECAP: Entering the second day of competition with a solid lead, the Varsity Blues built it up further winning six of the seven gold medals up for grabs in the third session.
Helping extend the Toronto advantage, Varsity Blues third-year swimmer Ainsley McMurray won double gold on Friday. The Montreal, Que., native not only finished first in the 50m butterfly (27.65), but she also touched the wall first in the 50m freestryle with a time of 25.58.
McMurray was not the only swimmer from the session to find the top of the podium twice. U of T's Claire Howard book-ended the session with gold medal performances. Beginning the day, Howard finished first in the 400m freestyle, before helping the Varsity Blues 800 freestyle relay team also win gold in the final race of the session.
Also swimming to gold medals for Toronto, both Madeline Spencer and Raili Kary narrowly edged out their own teammates in their respective races. For Spencer, a first-year life science major, her time of 2:30.54 just beat out Tina Guan's time of 2:30.56 in the 200m breastroke. Meanwhile, Kary's performance of 58.54 in the 100m backstroke put her just ahead of Aleksa Gold's time of 58.97.
Preventing Toronto from securing seven gold medals in seven events, Guelph Gryphons second-year swimmer, Abigail McDonald claimed the top of the podium in the 200m butterfly. With a time of 2:19.03, the Sudbury, Ont., native was able to outrace Toronto's Kate Rendall who won silver.
DAY 2 MEN'S RECAP: Looking to keep up the pace that the Varsity Blues women's team set earlier in the day, the U of T men's team went on to claim five of a possible seven gold medals Friday evening. Ironically, it was the very first race and the last race of the session, in which Toronto was kept off the top of the podium. Instead, in both events, it was the Western Mustangs claiming gold.
To begin Session Four, it was Western's Sebastian Paulins securing gold in the 400m freestyle. Then in the last race of the evening, Paulins would taste gold again, this time with his teammates Kieran Stone, Hayden Bartoch and Ethan Placek, when they won the 800m freestyle relay.
In the five events between Western's two golds, it was the Varsity Blues controlling the pool.
Winning an individual gold medal for a second straight day, Toronto's Dillon Fernando (50m fly), Jacob Gallant (200m breast) and Carter Buck (100m back) all continued to make a big impact for the Varsity Blues team.
Rounding out the day's races, Michael Sava (1:59.34) was victorious in the 200m butterfly, while Ethan Fazekas' time of 22.77 won him the 50m freestyle.
Meanwhile, Varsity Blues swimmer, Matthew Cabraja continued to break records. Swimming to a time of 29.27, Cabraja set a new Canadian Paralympic S11 50m butterfly record. Then in the S11 freestyle, he set a new Canadian Paralympic record with a time of 27.79.
The championships will wrap up tomorrow (Mar. 12) with Day 3. Session five is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., and session six is set to begin at 3 p.m.
DAY 1WOMEN'S RECAP: The opening session of the event featured the women jumping into the pool first, and by time the session came to an end, the Varsity Blues were able to take control of the standings. With 386 points, Toronto established a 155.5 point lead over second place Western (230.5). The McMaster Marauders rounded out the top three after session one with 164 points.
Beginning the championship in style, the Varsity Blues team of Gemma Norman, Alcina Leung, Samiha Mohsen and Raili Kary raced to a first place finish with a time of 1:43.31 in the 4x50 freestyle relay. The McMaster Marauders (Cindy Shu, Heather Aylward, Leah Russell and Hiva Fazeli) placed second with a time of 1:46.17 and the McMaster Marauders (Hailey Lynch, Joan-Shiao Chen, Samantha Roberts and Emily Smith) claimed bronze with a time of 1:47.72.
The Blues then swept the podium in the 200m freestyle with Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray and Claire Howard placing first, second and third, respectively.
Continuing the Toronto momentum, Madeline Spencer won the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke.
However, in the 100m butterfly, the Blues were unable to find the top of the podium. Instead, it was Abigail McDonald of the Guelph Gryphons finishing first in a time of 1:01.77.
From there on out though, the Varsity Blues would not be denied gold the rest of the way. Racing to a time of 4:45.95, Toronto's Aleksa Gold cruised to the 400 IM gold, finishing over three and a half seconds clear of Western's Ella Rennie who won silver. Rounding out the first session, the Blues 400 medley relay time secured gold with Western winning silver and Guelph claiming bronze.
DAY 1 MEN'S RECAP: Much like their women counterparts, the Varsity Blues men's team came out and quickly made a splash as the second session got underway, and ultimately will be taking a big lead into day two.
Winning gold in the session's first race, the Varsity Blues men's 4x50 team swam to a time of 1:31.07. The Waterloo Warriors secured silver with their time of 1:33.39, while the Western Mustangs won bronze with a time of 1:34.90.
In the following race, we witnessed the first OUA record of the day to fall. Varsity Blue Bernard Godolphin's time of 1:47.16 in the 200m freestyle edged out the previous OUA mark of 1:47.23 set in 2010. On the podium, it was the Western Mustangs doubling-down behind Godolphin. Western's Sebastian Paulins finished in second place with his teammate, Kieran Stone just behind him to win bronze.
Godolphin was not the only Varsity Blue to set a record on Thursday though. Competing in the 100m breaststroke, 2020 Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo set a new benchmark with a time of 59.93. Then in the 400 IM, it was Jacob Gallant's turn to make OUA history. Gallant's time of 4:13.74 not only set the record, but beat the previous mark by more than two seconds.
The 50m backstroke saw a pair of Varsity Blues finish first and second as Carter Buck (25.38) and David Hickey (25.44) were the first two swimmers to touch the wall. Winning the bronze medal was Waterloo's Bryan Yang.
Varsity Blues first-year swimmer Matthew Cabraja set a new national paralympic record in the S11 50m backstroke with a time of 33.68.
The men's 100m butterfly also saw a pair of Varsity Blues secure the top two spots on the podium with Dillon Fernando and Michael Sava placing first and second, respectively, followed by Lukas Wormald of Waterloo.
The Varsity Blues then rounded out the day by winning the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:38.92. Waterloo's time of 3:47.39 secured silver, while Western's time of 3:48.76 put them on the podium winning bronze.
The championships resume tomorrow (Mar. 11) with Day 2. Session three is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and session four is set to begin at 6 p.m.
MAJOR INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Swimmer of the Year
Female - Raili Kary (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Rookie of the Year
Female - Raili Kary (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Coach of the Year
Female - Pierre Lafontaine (Carleton)
Male - Pierre Lafontaine (Carleton)
Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley Excellence Award
Female - Aleksa Gold (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Community Service Award
Female - Joan-Shiao Chen (Western)
Male - Matt Halpen (Queen's)
Awards of Distinction
Eloise Ladyman (Waterloo)
Ainsley McMurray (Toronto)
Kate Rendall (Toronto)
Ethan Fazekas (Toronto)
Sebastian Paulins (Western)
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Women's:
Toronto - 1175.5
Western - 666.5
McMaster - 583
Guelph - 451.5
Waterloo - 250.5
Carleton - 184
Queen's - 176
Brock - 120
Laurier- 92
York - 28
Men's:
Toronto - 1060
Waterloo - 617
Western - 588
McMaster - 356.5
Carleton - 258.5
Guelph - 257
Brock - 212
Queen's - 170
Laurier - 155.5
York - 3.5
INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
Women 4x50 Free Relay
1. Toronto 1:43.31
(Gemma Norman, Alcina Leung, Samiha Mohsen, Raili Kary)
2. McMaster 1:46.17
(Cindy Shu, Heather Aylward, Leah Russell, Hiva Fazeli)
3. Western 1:47.72
(Hailey Lynch, Joan-Shiao Chen, Samantha Roberts, Emily Smith)
Women 200 Free
1. Aleksa Gold, Toronto 1:58.01
2. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto 2:00.01
3. Claire Howard, Toronto 2:01.10
Women 50m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 27.69
2. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 28.38
3. Eloise Ladyman, Waterloo, 28.59
Women 100m Breast
1. Madeline Spencer, Toronto, 1:09.30
2. Shona Branton, Western, 1:09.44
3. Shannon Russell, Guelph, 1:09.76
Women 100m Fly
1. Abigail McDonald, Guelph, 1:01.77
2. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:02.00
3. Sarah Little, McMaster, 1:02.33
Women 400 IM
1. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 4:45.95
2. Ella Rennie, Western, 4:49.52
3. Emma Schlyter, McMaster, 4:52.32
Women 400 Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 4:07.36
(Raili Kary, Madeline Spencer, Kaitlyn Burwell, Lily Chubaty)
2. Western, 4:13.68
(Emma Miron, Shona Branton, Megan Deering, Joan-Shiao Chen)
3. Guelph, 4:18.34
(Samantha Fish, Shannon Russell, Abigail McDonald, Meaghan Kearney)
Men 4x50 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 1:31.07
(Liam Weaver, Everett Smith, Bjoern-Ole Schrader, Ethan Fazekas)
2. Waterloo, 1:33.39
(Raymond Duong, Bryan Yang, Justin Wang, Lukas Wormald)
3. Western, 1:34.90
(Daniel Ortiz, Alvin Omondi, Justin D'Ailly, Brett Liem)
Men 200 Free
1. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 1:47.16 OUA RECORD
2. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 1:48.55
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 1:50.80
Men 50m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 25.38
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 25.44
3. Bryan Yang, Waterloo, 25.70
Men 100m Breast
1. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 59.93 OUA RECORD
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 1:00.89
3. Cale Kooyman, Toronto, 1:02.30
Men 100m Fly
1. Dillon Fernando, Toronto, 53.36
2. Michael Sava, Toronto, 54.66
3. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 54.72
Men 400 IM
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 4:13.74
2. Ruben Jansen, Guelph, 4:27.57
3. Samuel Pei, Waterloo, 4:31.64
Men 400 Medley Relay
1. Toronto 3:38.92
(Carter Buck, Graeme Aylward, Dillon Fernando, Ethan Fazekas)
2. Waterloo 3:47.39
(Bryan Yang, Tristan Curry, Alex Boden, Raymond Duong)
3. Western 3:48.76
(Cameron Maxwell, Alexander Jensen, Vladislav Zagidulin, Justin D'Ailly)
Women 400m Free
1. Claire Howard, Toronto, 4:15.32
2. Anna Hein, Toronto, 4:15.89
3. Kate Rendall, Toronto, 4:19.34
Women 50m Fly
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 27.65
2. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 27.79
3. Sarah Little, McMaster, 27.89
Women 200m Breast
1. Madeline Spencer, Toronto, 2:30.54
2. Tina Guan, Toronto, 2:30.56
3. Ella Rennie, Western, 2:30.76
Women 100m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 58.54
2. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 58.97
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:01.37
3. Eloise Ladyman, Waterloo, 1:01.37
Women 200m Fly
1. Abigail McDonald, Guelph, 2:19.03
2. Kate Rendall, Toronto, 2:19.77
3. Claire Macleod, Western, 2:20.85
Women 50 Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 25.58
2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 25.61
3. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 25.87
Women 800 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 8:20.32
(Claire Howard, Kate Rendall, Mahaylia Datars, Anna Hein)
2. Western, 8:29.95
(Kennedy Scott, Emiko Osborne, Claire Macleod, Ella Rennie)
3. McMaster, 8:32.27
(Maeve Bailey, Andie Lloyd, Emma Schlyter, Erin Anderson)
Men 400 Free
1. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 3:49.38
2. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 3:51.23
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 3:54.54
Men 50 Fly
1. Dillon Fernando, Toronto, 24.26
2. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 24.66
3. Anthony Gunn, Brock, 25.11
Men 200m Breast
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:10.43
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 2:12.09
3. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 2:12.25
Men 100m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 54.54
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 55.58
3. Finn Tuck, Carleton, 56.39
Men 200m Fly
1. Michael Sava, Toronto, 1:59.34
2. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 1:59.74
3. Brendan Oswald, Toronto, 2:00.94
Men 50 Free
1. Ethan Fazekas, Toronto, 22.77
2. Kent Goni Avila, Laurier, 22.89
2. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 22.89
Men 800 Free Relay
1. Western 7:22.09
(Kieran Stone, Hayden Bartoch, Ethan Placek, Sebastian Paulins)
2. Toronto 7:24.66
(Max Tambling, Jacob Gallant, Maksym Klakov, Bernard Godolphin)
3. Waterloo 7:41.69
(Samuel Pei, Josh Bird, Raymond Duong, Aidan Iapicco)
Women 200m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 1:54.36
(Haley Klenk, Lili Chicoine, Kaitlyn Burwell, Samiha Mohsen)
2. Western, 1:55.45
(Sophia Hartvikson, Shona Branton, Megan Deering, Samantha Roberts)
3. Waterloo, 1:57.30
(Eloise Ladyman, Christina Ji, Alyssa Zhang, Su Yeong Choi)
Women 800m Free
1. Anna Hein, Toronto, 8:48.28
2. Claire Howard, Toronto, 8:49.94
3. Mahaylia Datars, Toronto, 9:06.11
Women 50m Breast
1. Shona Branton, Western, 31.10
2. Shannon Russell, Guelph, 32.18
3. Megan Deering, Western, 32.41
Women 200m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 2:07.02
2. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 2:09.93
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 2:11.92
Women 100m Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 54.94
2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 56.15
3. Gemma Norman, Toronto, 57.04
Women 200 IM
1. Ella Rennie, Western, 2:17.09
2. Emma Schlyter, McMaster, 2:17.86
3. Abby McDonald, Toronto, 2:19.43
Women 400 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 3:45.63
(Aleksa Gold, Alcina Leung, Gemma Norman, Lily Chubaty)
2. Western, 3:52.57
(Samantha Roberts, Ella Rennie, Kennedy Scott, Joan-Shiao Chen)
3. McMaster, 3:53.11
(Sarah Little, Heather Aylward, Chelsea Zhou, Emma Schlyter)
Men 200m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 1:38.68 OUA RECORD
(David Hickey, Gabe Mastromatteo, Dillon Fernando, Ethan Fazekas)
2. McMaster, 1:43.25
(Colin Campbell, Cameron Johnsen, Bijan Ziaian, Josiah Terejko)
3. Carleton, 1:43.91
(Yazan Al Bawwab, Cam Teasdale, Nathan Landry, Finn Tuck)
Men 1500m Free
1. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 15:27.94
2. Aidan Iapicco, Waterloo, 15:47.20
3. Hayden Bartoch, Western, 16:05.93
Men 50m Breast
1. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 27.73
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 28.15
3. Cam Teasdale, Carleton, 28.26
Men 200m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 1:59.51
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 2:00.35
3. Matthew Klahsen, Toronto, 2:01.84
Men 100m Free
1. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 49.48
2. Kent Goni Avila, Laurier, 50.27
3. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 50.41
Men 200 IM
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 1:59.67
2. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 2:03.98
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 2:04.52
Men 400 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 3:20.57
(Maksym Klakov, Graeme Aylward, Everett Smith, Liam Weaver)
2. Western, 3:23.19
(Kieran Stone, Ethan Placek, Brett Liem, Sebastian Paulins)
3. Laurier, 3:30.60
(Dylan Thomas, Matthew Berton, Kelton Langman, Kent Goni Avila)
DAY 3 WOMEN'S RECAP: Winning five of the session's seven gold medals, the Varsity Blues once again made their presence felt on Saturday afternoon.
Winning one of those gold medals was Varsity Blues first-year swimmer Raili Kary. Finishing top of the podium in the 200m backstroke, the engineering major picked up her third gold medal of the championship, which led to her being named not only the OUA female rookie of the year, but also the OUA female swimmer of the year.
Like Kary, U of T's Ainsley McMurray also picked up a third individual gold medal on Saturday. Her time of 54.94 in the 100m free secured her place at the top of the podium.
Anna Hein (800m free), rounded out the Varsity Blues individual gold medalists from the session. The purple of the Western Mustangs graced the top of the podium in the other two individual races, with Shona Branton (31.10) winning the 50m breaststroke and Ella Rennie winning the 200m IM in a time of 2:17.09.
In the two relay events, the Varsity Blues struck gold both time, winning the 200m medley relay with a time of 1:54.36, before ending the session victorious in the 400m freestyle relay with a time of 3:45.63.
Earning the team silver medal was the Western Mustangs, finishing over 80 points ahead of the bronze medalists, McMaster Marauders. The Guelph Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors finished fourth and fifth respectively.
DAY 3 MEN'S RECAP: In a similar position to the Varsity Blues women's team entering day three of the championship, Toronto found themselves in good shape to claim their 18th straight OUA title.
One of the biggest reasons for the Blues continued success was the standout performance of first-year swimmer Jacob Gallant. Winning his third gold medal of the event, when his time of 1:59.67 beat all other competitors in the 200m IM, the Fredericton, N.B., product went on to be named the 2022 OUA Male Swimmer of the Year, the 2022 Jeno Tihanyi Award winner and the 2022 OUA Male Rookie of the Year.
Beyond Gallant's performance, the rest of the Varsity Blues team continued to find plenty of success on the final day, as Toronto went on to win six of the seven gold medals.
The Blues began session six in style by setting an OUA record in the 200m medley relay racing to a time of 1:38.68. In the second race of the event, Western's Sebastian Paulins continued his strong weekend winning the 1500m freestyle to claim his second individual goal of the championship. From that point on though, it was all Toronto. The Varsity Blues went on to securing nine of a possible 13 medals the rest of the way.
In a battle for the team silver medals, the Western Mustangs did their best to gain ground on the Waterloo Warriors with a late push, winning a bronze in the 200 IM and then taking silver in the 400 freestyle relay, however, it wasn't quite enough, as a silver medal in the 200 IM for Waterloo's Lukas Wormald helped fend off the Western push.
Rounding out the top-five, the McMaster Marauders finished fourth and the Carleton Ravens came in fifth. Carleton's coach, Pierre Lafontaine was named the OUA Swimming Coach of the Year in both men's and women's.
Another strong day in the pool helped both the Toronto Varsity Blues women's and men's swimming teams widen their leads Friday (Mar. 11) at Varsity Pool during Day 2 of the 2022 OUA Swimming Championships.
DAY 2 WOMEN'S RECAP: Entering the second day of competition with a solid lead, the Varsity Blues built it up further winning six of the seven gold medals up for grabs in the third session.
Helping extend the Toronto advantage, Varsity Blues third-year swimmer Ainsley McMurray won double gold on Friday. The Montreal, Que., native not only finished first in the 50m butterfly (27.65), but she also touched the wall first in the 50m freestryle with a time of 25.58.
McMurray was not the only swimmer from the session to find the top of the podium twice. U of T's Claire Howard book-ended the session with gold medal performances. Beginning the day, Howard finished first in the 400m freestyle, before helping the Varsity Blues 800 freestyle relay team also win gold in the final race of the session.
Also swimming to gold medals for Toronto, both Madeline Spencer and Raili Kary narrowly edged out their own teammates in their respective races. For Spencer, a first-year life science major, her time of 2:30.54 just beat out Tina Guan's time of 2:30.56 in the 200m breastroke. Meanwhile, Kary's performance of 58.54 in the 100m backstroke put her just ahead of Aleksa Gold's time of 58.97.
Preventing Toronto from securing seven gold medals in seven events, Guelph Gryphons second-year swimmer, Abigail McDonald claimed the top of the podium in the 200m butterfly. With a time of 2:19.03, the Sudbury, Ont., native was able to outrace Toronto's Kate Rendall who won silver.
DAY 2 MEN'S RECAP: Looking to keep up the pace that the Varsity Blues women's team set earlier in the day, the U of T men's team went on to claim five of a possible seven gold medals Friday evening. Ironically, it was the very first race and the last race of the session, in which Toronto was kept off the top of the podium. Instead, in both events, it was the Western Mustangs claiming gold.
To begin Session Four, it was Western's Sebastian Paulins securing gold in the 400m freestyle. Then in the last race of the evening, Paulins would taste gold again, this time with his teammates Kieran Stone, Hayden Bartoch and Ethan Placek, when they won the 800m freestyle relay.
In the five events between Western's two golds, it was the Varsity Blues controlling the pool.
Winning an individual gold medal for a second straight day, Toronto's Dillon Fernando (50m fly), Jacob Gallant (200m breast) and Carter Buck (100m back) all continued to make a big impact for the Varsity Blues team.
Rounding out the day's races, Michael Sava (1:59.34) was victorious in the 200m butterfly, while Ethan Fazekas' time of 22.77 won him the 50m freestyle.
Meanwhile, Varsity Blues swimmer, Matthew Cabraja continued to break records. Swimming to a time of 29.27, Cabraja set a new Canadian Paralympic S11 50m butterfly record. Then in the S11 freestyle, he set a new Canadian Paralympic record with a time of 27.79.
The championships will wrap up tomorrow (Mar. 12) with Day 3. Session five is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., and session six is set to begin at 3 p.m.
DAY 1WOMEN'S RECAP: The opening session of the event featured the women jumping into the pool first, and by time the session came to an end, the Varsity Blues were able to take control of the standings. With 386 points, Toronto established a 155.5 point lead over second place Western (230.5). The McMaster Marauders rounded out the top three after session one with 164 points.
Beginning the championship in style, the Varsity Blues team of Gemma Norman, Alcina Leung, Samiha Mohsen and Raili Kary raced to a first place finish with a time of 1:43.31 in the 4x50 freestyle relay. The McMaster Marauders (Cindy Shu, Heather Aylward, Leah Russell and Hiva Fazeli) placed second with a time of 1:46.17 and the McMaster Marauders (Hailey Lynch, Joan-Shiao Chen, Samantha Roberts and Emily Smith) claimed bronze with a time of 1:47.72.
The Blues then swept the podium in the 200m freestyle with Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray and Claire Howard placing first, second and third, respectively.
Continuing the Toronto momentum, Madeline Spencer won the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke.
However, in the 100m butterfly, the Blues were unable to find the top of the podium. Instead, it was Abigail McDonald of the Guelph Gryphons finishing first in a time of 1:01.77.
From there on out though, the Varsity Blues would not be denied gold the rest of the way. Racing to a time of 4:45.95, Toronto's Aleksa Gold cruised to the 400 IM gold, finishing over three and a half seconds clear of Western's Ella Rennie who won silver. Rounding out the first session, the Blues 400 medley relay time secured gold with Western winning silver and Guelph claiming bronze.
DAY 1 MEN'S RECAP: Much like their women counterparts, the Varsity Blues men's team came out and quickly made a splash as the second session got underway, and ultimately will be taking a big lead into day two.
Winning gold in the session's first race, the Varsity Blues men's 4x50 team swam to a time of 1:31.07. The Waterloo Warriors secured silver with their time of 1:33.39, while the Western Mustangs won bronze with a time of 1:34.90.
In the following race, we witnessed the first OUA record of the day to fall. Varsity Blue Bernard Godolphin's time of 1:47.16 in the 200m freestyle edged out the previous OUA mark of 1:47.23 set in 2010. On the podium, it was the Western Mustangs doubling-down behind Godolphin. Western's Sebastian Paulins finished in second place with his teammate, Kieran Stone just behind him to win bronze.
Godolphin was not the only Varsity Blue to set a record on Thursday though. Competing in the 100m breaststroke, 2020 Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo set a new benchmark with a time of 59.93. Then in the 400 IM, it was Jacob Gallant's turn to make OUA history. Gallant's time of 4:13.74 not only set the record, but beat the previous mark by more than two seconds.
The 50m backstroke saw a pair of Varsity Blues finish first and second as Carter Buck (25.38) and David Hickey (25.44) were the first two swimmers to touch the wall. Winning the bronze medal was Waterloo's Bryan Yang.
Varsity Blues first-year swimmer Matthew Cabraja set a new national paralympic record in the S11 50m backstroke with a time of 33.68.
The men's 100m butterfly also saw a pair of Varsity Blues secure the top two spots on the podium with Dillon Fernando and Michael Sava placing first and second, respectively, followed by Lukas Wormald of Waterloo.
The Varsity Blues then rounded out the day by winning the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:38.92. Waterloo's time of 3:47.39 secured silver, while Western's time of 3:48.76 put them on the podium winning bronze.
The championships resume tomorrow (Mar. 11) with Day 2. Session three is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and session four is set to begin at 6 p.m.
MAJOR INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Swimmer of the Year
Female - Raili Kary (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Rookie of the Year
Female - Raili Kary (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Coach of the Year
Female - Pierre Lafontaine (Carleton)
Male - Pierre Lafontaine (Carleton)
Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley Excellence Award
Female - Aleksa Gold (Toronto)
Male - Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
Community Service Award
Female - Joan-Shiao Chen (Western)
Male - Matt Halpen (Queen's)
Awards of Distinction
Eloise Ladyman (Waterloo)
Ainsley McMurray (Toronto)
Kate Rendall (Toronto)
Ethan Fazekas (Toronto)
Sebastian Paulins (Western)
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Women's:
Toronto - 1175.5
Western - 666.5
McMaster - 583
Guelph - 451.5
Waterloo - 250.5
Carleton - 184
Queen's - 176
Brock - 120
Laurier- 92
York - 28
Men's:
Toronto - 1060
Waterloo - 617
Western - 588
McMaster - 356.5
Carleton - 258.5
Guelph - 257
Brock - 212
Queen's - 170
Laurier - 155.5
York - 3.5
INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
Women 4x50 Free Relay
1. Toronto 1:43.31
(Gemma Norman, Alcina Leung, Samiha Mohsen, Raili Kary)
2. McMaster 1:46.17
(Cindy Shu, Heather Aylward, Leah Russell, Hiva Fazeli)
3. Western 1:47.72
(Hailey Lynch, Joan-Shiao Chen, Samantha Roberts, Emily Smith)
Women 200 Free
1. Aleksa Gold, Toronto 1:58.01
2. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto 2:00.01
3. Claire Howard, Toronto 2:01.10
Women 50m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 27.69
2. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 28.38
3. Eloise Ladyman, Waterloo, 28.59
Women 100m Breast
1. Madeline Spencer, Toronto, 1:09.30
2. Shona Branton, Western, 1:09.44
3. Shannon Russell, Guelph, 1:09.76
Women 100m Fly
1. Abigail McDonald, Guelph, 1:01.77
2. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:02.00
3. Sarah Little, McMaster, 1:02.33
Women 400 IM
1. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 4:45.95
2. Ella Rennie, Western, 4:49.52
3. Emma Schlyter, McMaster, 4:52.32
Women 400 Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 4:07.36
(Raili Kary, Madeline Spencer, Kaitlyn Burwell, Lily Chubaty)
2. Western, 4:13.68
(Emma Miron, Shona Branton, Megan Deering, Joan-Shiao Chen)
3. Guelph, 4:18.34
(Samantha Fish, Shannon Russell, Abigail McDonald, Meaghan Kearney)
Men 4x50 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 1:31.07
(Liam Weaver, Everett Smith, Bjoern-Ole Schrader, Ethan Fazekas)
2. Waterloo, 1:33.39
(Raymond Duong, Bryan Yang, Justin Wang, Lukas Wormald)
3. Western, 1:34.90
(Daniel Ortiz, Alvin Omondi, Justin D'Ailly, Brett Liem)
Men 200 Free
1. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 1:47.16 OUA RECORD
2. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 1:48.55
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 1:50.80
Men 50m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 25.38
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 25.44
3. Bryan Yang, Waterloo, 25.70
Men 100m Breast
1. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 59.93 OUA RECORD
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 1:00.89
3. Cale Kooyman, Toronto, 1:02.30
Men 100m Fly
1. Dillon Fernando, Toronto, 53.36
2. Michael Sava, Toronto, 54.66
3. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 54.72
Men 400 IM
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 4:13.74
2. Ruben Jansen, Guelph, 4:27.57
3. Samuel Pei, Waterloo, 4:31.64
Men 400 Medley Relay
1. Toronto 3:38.92
(Carter Buck, Graeme Aylward, Dillon Fernando, Ethan Fazekas)
2. Waterloo 3:47.39
(Bryan Yang, Tristan Curry, Alex Boden, Raymond Duong)
3. Western 3:48.76
(Cameron Maxwell, Alexander Jensen, Vladislav Zagidulin, Justin D'Ailly)
Women 400m Free
1. Claire Howard, Toronto, 4:15.32
2. Anna Hein, Toronto, 4:15.89
3. Kate Rendall, Toronto, 4:19.34
Women 50m Fly
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 27.65
2. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 27.79
3. Sarah Little, McMaster, 27.89
Women 200m Breast
1. Madeline Spencer, Toronto, 2:30.54
2. Tina Guan, Toronto, 2:30.56
3. Ella Rennie, Western, 2:30.76
Women 100m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 58.54
2. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 58.97
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:01.37
3. Eloise Ladyman, Waterloo, 1:01.37
Women 200m Fly
1. Abigail McDonald, Guelph, 2:19.03
2. Kate Rendall, Toronto, 2:19.77
3. Claire Macleod, Western, 2:20.85
Women 50 Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 25.58
2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 25.61
3. Samiha Mohsen, Toronto, 25.87
Women 800 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 8:20.32
(Claire Howard, Kate Rendall, Mahaylia Datars, Anna Hein)
2. Western, 8:29.95
(Kennedy Scott, Emiko Osborne, Claire Macleod, Ella Rennie)
3. McMaster, 8:32.27
(Maeve Bailey, Andie Lloyd, Emma Schlyter, Erin Anderson)
Men 400 Free
1. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 3:49.38
2. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 3:51.23
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 3:54.54
Men 50 Fly
1. Dillon Fernando, Toronto, 24.26
2. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 24.66
3. Anthony Gunn, Brock, 25.11
Men 200m Breast
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:10.43
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 2:12.09
3. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 2:12.25
Men 100m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 54.54
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 55.58
3. Finn Tuck, Carleton, 56.39
Men 200m Fly
1. Michael Sava, Toronto, 1:59.34
2. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 1:59.74
3. Brendan Oswald, Toronto, 2:00.94
Men 50 Free
1. Ethan Fazekas, Toronto, 22.77
2. Kent Goni Avila, Laurier, 22.89
2. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 22.89
Men 800 Free Relay
1. Western 7:22.09
(Kieran Stone, Hayden Bartoch, Ethan Placek, Sebastian Paulins)
2. Toronto 7:24.66
(Max Tambling, Jacob Gallant, Maksym Klakov, Bernard Godolphin)
3. Waterloo 7:41.69
(Samuel Pei, Josh Bird, Raymond Duong, Aidan Iapicco)
Women 200m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 1:54.36
(Haley Klenk, Lili Chicoine, Kaitlyn Burwell, Samiha Mohsen)
2. Western, 1:55.45
(Sophia Hartvikson, Shona Branton, Megan Deering, Samantha Roberts)
3. Waterloo, 1:57.30
(Eloise Ladyman, Christina Ji, Alyssa Zhang, Su Yeong Choi)
Women 800m Free
1. Anna Hein, Toronto, 8:48.28
2. Claire Howard, Toronto, 8:49.94
3. Mahaylia Datars, Toronto, 9:06.11
Women 50m Breast
1. Shona Branton, Western, 31.10
2. Shannon Russell, Guelph, 32.18
3. Megan Deering, Western, 32.41
Women 200m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 2:07.02
2. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 2:09.93
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 2:11.92
Women 100m Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 54.94
2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 56.15
3. Gemma Norman, Toronto, 57.04
Women 200 IM
1. Ella Rennie, Western, 2:17.09
2. Emma Schlyter, McMaster, 2:17.86
3. Abby McDonald, Toronto, 2:19.43
Women 400 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 3:45.63
(Aleksa Gold, Alcina Leung, Gemma Norman, Lily Chubaty)
2. Western, 3:52.57
(Samantha Roberts, Ella Rennie, Kennedy Scott, Joan-Shiao Chen)
3. McMaster, 3:53.11
(Sarah Little, Heather Aylward, Chelsea Zhou, Emma Schlyter)
Men 200m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 1:38.68 OUA RECORD
(David Hickey, Gabe Mastromatteo, Dillon Fernando, Ethan Fazekas)
2. McMaster, 1:43.25
(Colin Campbell, Cameron Johnsen, Bijan Ziaian, Josiah Terejko)
3. Carleton, 1:43.91
(Yazan Al Bawwab, Cam Teasdale, Nathan Landry, Finn Tuck)
Men 1500m Free
1. Sebastian Paulins, Western, 15:27.94
2. Aidan Iapicco, Waterloo, 15:47.20
3. Hayden Bartoch, Western, 16:05.93
Men 50m Breast
1. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 27.73
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 28.15
3. Cam Teasdale, Carleton, 28.26
Men 200m Back
1. Carter Buck, Toronto, 1:59.51
2. David Hickey, Toronto, 2:00.35
3. Matthew Klahsen, Toronto, 2:01.84
Men 100m Free
1. Bernard Godolphin, Toronto, 49.48
2. Kent Goni Avila, Laurier, 50.27
3. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 50.41
Men 200 IM
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 1:59.67
2. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 2:03.98
3. Kieran Stone, Western, 2:04.52
Men 400 Free Relay
1. Toronto, 3:20.57
(Maksym Klakov, Graeme Aylward, Everett Smith, Liam Weaver)
2. Western, 3:23.19
(Kieran Stone, Ethan Placek, Brett Liem, Sebastian Paulins)
3. Laurier, 3:30.60
(Dylan Thomas, Matthew Berton, Kelton Langman, Kent Goni Avila)
